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Hi<L.i\  ^i.'-i  [House  Bill  No.     ]. 

HOUSE  OF  REPRESENTATIVES,  March  9,  1863.— Read  fiist 
and  second  times,  laid  on  the  table,  anJ  ordered  to  be  printed. 

[  By  Mr.  Boteler,  from  Committee  on  Ordnance  and  Ordnance  Stores.! 


A.   BILL 

To  establish  a  Nitre  and  Mining  Bureau. 

1  ,  Section  1.   The  Congress  of  ike  Confederate  States  of  America  do 

2  enact,  That  tho  officers  authorized  and  appointed  under  the  act, 

3  entitled  "An  Act  for  the  organization  of  a  corps  of  officers  for 

4  the  ^vorking  of  nitre  caves,  &;c.,"  passed  April  11,  1862,  together 

5  -with  such  additional  officers  as  are  authortzed  by  the  provisions 

6  of  this  act  shall  constitute  an  independent  bureau  of  the  War 

7  Department  to  be  entitled  "  The  Nitre  and  Mining  Bureau." 

1  Sec.  2.    Be  it  further  enact(d,    That   said   bureau  shall   have 

3  charge  of  all  the  duties  prescribeH  in  the  second  section  of  said 

3  act,  and  shall  besides  be  charged  -with  all  duties  and  expenditures 

4  connected  with  the  mining  of  iron,  copper,  lead,  coal,  kc,  so  far 

5  as  it  shall  be  deemed  necessary  to  sugply  the  military  necessities 

6  of  the  country,  and  the  superintendent  thereof  shall,  under  the 

7  Sacretary  of  War,  have  full  power  to  make  such  leases  of  real 


3 

8  estate  and  purchases  of  fixtures  as  are  necessary  or  appurtenant 

9  to  any  mines  it  may  be  deemed  expedient  to  open  or  work  on 

10  Government  account;   and  may  also  contract,  subject  to  the  ap- 

1 1  proval  of  the  Secretary  of  War,  for  such  supplies,  by  purchase 

12  or  otherwise,  of  all  copper,  lead,  iron,  coal,  zinc  and  such  other 

13  minerals  as  may  be  required  for  the  prosecution  of  the  war. 

1  Sec.  3.  Be  it  further  enacted,  That  said  bureau  shall  consist  of 

2  one  lieutenaht  colonel,  as  superintendent;  three  majors,  as  as- 

3  sistant  superintendents;    six   captains  and    ten   lieutenants,   in 

4  which  shall  be  included  the  officers  of  the  present  nitre  corps, 

5  who  shall  have  the  same  pay  and  allowances  prescribed  for  officers 

6  of  cavalry  of  the  same  grades. 


